The Pulse: Sept. 11, 2023

A public hearing will take place on Sept. 11, and city council will meet on Sept. 12 and 13. Council services committee will meet on Sept. 15.

Here are some of the key items on the agenda:

• Administration is reporting an operating deficit of $2.7 million as of June 30 and projects a year-end deficit of $73.8 million. That's due to $43 million in salary settlements, lower than expected transit revenue, lower ATCO Gas franchise fees, and lower than expected on-street construction and maintenance revenue, among other things. The city spent $3.1 million up to June 2023 to support Albertans impacted by wildfires, for which it will seek reimbursement from the provincial Disaster Recovery Program.
  • The Edmonton Police Service is reporting a deficit of $4.2 million as of May 31, mainly due to higher overtime costs "to maintain minimum staffing." The service is projecting a year-end deficit of about $2.8 million. As of June 19, total attrition at EPS was 47 sworn members.
  • Administration projects the Financial Stabilization Reserve will finish 2023 with a balance of $135.7 million, which is above the minimum required balance of $123.5 million but is significantly below the target balance of $205.1 million. Funding new initiatives using the FSR "should be limited to those circumstances with emergent financial needs" for the remainder of the year, administration says.
  • Administration proposes creating a Community Safety and Well-Being Reserve to facilitate the allocation of $21.9 million in CSWB tax-levy funds each year.
• Year-to-date capital expenditures total $446.5 million, with a total of $1.8 billion in spending projected by the end of 2023. That's higher than in previous years due to major projects including the Valley Line West LRT and the Yellowhead Trail Freeway Conversion. As of June 30, administration says 99.6% of capital projects are within an acceptable tolerance for budget and 82% are within an acceptable tolerance for schedule. The city expects to finish 2023 with $4.3 billion of outstanding debt, having used 86.5% of its tax-supported debt servicing limit and 67.6% of its total debt servicing limit.
• Autograph proposes building a high-rise, mixed-use tower of up to about 23 storeys at 102 Avenue and 123 Street in Oliver, just across the street from The Mercury Block, which it also developed. Administration supports the proposal, saying the site is "well positioned for an increase in development intensity" and "will recognize and enhance the pedestrian-oriented nature of the area."

• The city's emergency reception centre for wildfire evacuees is relocating on Sept. 11 from the EXPO Centre to the Clareview Community Recreation Centre. The city said there has been a smaller demand for services since officials lifted the evacuation order for Yellowknife last week. Since it opened on Aug. 18, the centre has registered 7,497 evacuees and 1,314 pets. While animal care will not be offered at the new reception centre, the city said evacuees can pick up pet supplies such as food and litter if needed.
• The federal government and the City of Edmonton released details of a new project receiving $12.5 million in funding through the Rapid Housing Initiative City Stream. The supportive housing construction project will provide housing, including 12 barrier-free units, for at least 63 people who have experienced or are at risk of homelessness. The city will lead the construction in partnership with Homeward Trust. The project has also received $3.99 million from the Alberta government's Affordable Housing Partnership Program and $11.9 million from the city.
• Students and staff at Greenfield School in southwest Edmonton may have been exposed to asbestos during construction to fix a burst pipe in early May. Edmonton Public Schools informed families about the potential exposure in a Sept. 6 letter following an investigation by Alberta Occupational Health and Safety. Testing showed low levels of asbestos in the school's drywall, and mitigation efforts are underway, including completing repairs in the evenings or weekends when students aren't on site. The division is working with an external investigator and advised families to seek further health information from medical professionals.
• The Edmonton Police Service has partnered with Radius Community Health and Healing on the recently opened Integrated Care Centre, which provides intoxicated people in police custody a space to access health, addiction, and social supports. In a post on LinkedIn, police Chief Dale McFee said the centre is part of efforts to target violence, drug use, and social disorder in the city. He also said there would be more information this week, including "new justice initiatives" from the provincial government to support police efforts to "keep violent people in the justice system." A news conference with McFee, the provincial justice minister, the provincial public safety minister, and Mayor Amarjeet Sohi is scheduled for 1pm on Sept. 11.
• Housing prices in Edmonton are about 30% lower than prices in Calgary. The average resale price of a detached home in Calgary surpassed $700,000 in August, while in Edmonton it was around $492,000. The difference in markets was partly because Edmonton had a larger housing supply to accommodate newcomers, said Ann-Marie Lurie with the Alberta Real Estate Association. "What happened in Edmonton is that they never had the same supply shortages Calgary did," she said. According to government data, Calgary's population growth from July 2021 to July 2022 was 3.1%, while Edmonton's was 2.4%.
• Crawford Plains School unveiled two buddy benches to honour three students who have died in the past year. One of the benches is engraved with the name Jayden, a student who, along with his mother, was killed outside the school in May. The second bench is engraved with the names of two students who were best friends, Karter and Lucas. "I'm so, so proud of the students at our school," said former principal Lisa Nachtigal. "We've gone through some of the hardest things life has thrown at you, and they just kept showing up."
• Meta's blocking of Canadian news on its social media sites has created challenges for student news outlets, which rely on the platforms to connect with their audiences. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, began blocking news in Canada on its platforms in early August in response to the federal Online News Act, also known as Bill C-18. The legislation requires tech companies to compensate news outlets for stories posted to their platforms. Amy St. Amand, editor-in-chief of the NAIT Nugget student newspaper, said their stories are being blocked despite not being included in the legislation as a student news outlet. "We're caught up in the crossfire," she said.
• Edmonton-based company No Story Lost is offering free customized personal memoirs to Edmontonians who reach the age of 100. "Centenarians have lived through an entire century of change, and their wisdom and perspectives should not only be honoured, but also shared," company co-founder Jeremy Bryant said in a release. Families can apply for the memoir package on the No Story Lost website.
• Longtime Edmonton news presenter Stacey Brotzel is moving to radio and will join Daryl McIntyre as co-host of This Morning on 630 CHED starting Sept. 25. Brotzel has been working in Edmonton for 26 years as a broadcaster, anchor and producer.
• A proposed class-action lawsuit has been launched against Alberta Health Services alleging the health authority has denied overtime pay and rest periods to clinical assistants since 2016. Clinical assistants are foreign trained doctors who work under the supervision of doctors in Alberta. The statement of claim seeks $10 million in general damages, $85 million in special damages, and $10 million in punitive damages. An AHS spokesperson said the health authority has not yet filed a statement of defence.

Opportunities this week include a carbon-capture convention, a plant-protein discussion, a meeting of data-science minds, a tasty and nostalgic pop-up, and a panel on climate-centred jobs in Edmonton.

• Sept. 12-14: Carbon Capture Canada: Carbon Expo Convention at the Edmonton Convention Centre
• Sept. 13, 5pm: Prairie BioEconomy Guild: Faba Canada, presented by BioAlberta at Brewsters
• Sept. 14, 5:30pm: Edmonton Data Science Meetup: AI Ethics and Data Dilemmas at Edmonton Unlimited
• Sept. 14, 6pm: Culina Highlands Throwback Pop-Up Dinner at 10821 95 Street NW
• Sept. 15: Your Future in a City of Climate Champions | State of the City Panel at NAIT Productivity and Innovation Centre

Find even more things to do in Taproot's weekly roundups.

Photo: The Carbon Capture Canada Conference is aiming to bring 4,000 people together this week to discuss carbon capture, utilization, and storage. (Carbon Capture Canada)